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CCuuttttiinngg tthhee SSuuggaarr-CCaanneeOn Delap’s Estate, AntiguaWilliam Clark, 1823Collection of the New-York Historical Society

Sugar was the first major plantation crop in the new world. The work was haz-ardous and grueling, and death rates for the enslaved workers were extremelyhigh. Many New York slaves had worked on Caribbean sugar plantations, anddreaded being sent back.

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SShhiippppiinngg SSuuggaarrWilloughby Bay, AntiguaWilliam Clark, 1723Collection of the New-York Historical Society

Slaves boiled sugar cane until it produced granular sugar and molasses, and thenmade rum from the molasses. These products were shipped by sea in barrels. InEurope, demand for sugar products was high, and this created great fortunes forsome.

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TTeeaa CCaaddddyyDaniel Van VoorhisSilver, ca. 1790Collection of the New-York Historical Society

Tea was treated with respect in New York, even after the British were defeated.This silver caddy held loose tea, imported from the east. The key was not anunusual feature in household items from the slavery period, when white suspi-cion of slaves ran high.

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TToobbaaccccoo BBooxxBrass and copper, ca. 1770-1790Collection of the New-York Historical Society

Tobacco was grown on slave plantations in the West Indies, Virginia, and RhodeIsland. In New York, white tradesmen and skilled slaves sold tobacco, madeclay pipes, and produced silver boxes like this one, embossed with symbols ofKings George II and III.

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CCoommmmooddee CChhaaiirrMahogany and textile, ca. 1760-1790Collection of the New-York Historical Society

In the days before indoor toilets, wealthy New Yorkers relieved themselves incomfort and style, without a trip to an outhouse. It was the slaves’ job to collectpans of human waste every morning and carry them down to the river.

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BBaabbyy WWaallkkeerrWood, ca. 17-18th centuriesCollection of the New-York Historical Society

The design of the baby walker has not changed much over the centuries. Thetask of tending to young children scooting around in a walker like this was oftengiven to slave girls who were still children themselves.